Mairead Murphy (director) on Act 2, scene 1 of Fences
In this scene we are presented with all the conflicts in the lives of Rose and Troy and how each character confronts them. During Troy's confession to Rose, Gabriel manages to interrupt and literally come between them, symbolizing the conflict the question of his welfare has caused between Rose and Troy throughout the play. Similarly, at the end of this scene, Cory, whose future has been another issue between Troy and Rose, intervenes between them. Packaged between these episodes, Rose and Troy confront each other over a new source of conflict, Troy's affair with Alberta. Here, in what is the turning point in the play, Troy confesses his affair with Alberta and the anticipated birth of his child. This episode results in many changes in the lives of the family.
To this point in the play Rose, realizing her dependence on Troy, accepted his failings, his bitterness and regrets. She has been a good and loyal wife and done her best to "erase the doubt" (1527) for Troy that he "wasn't the finest man in the world" (1527). After Troy's confession, the realization that eighteen years of such effort have been wasted devastates her but then kindles in her an anger and resolve that Troy will be a "womanless man" (1529) and that she will make a life for herself outside the home.
Troy, in this scene, also comes to an understanding of himself and of the discontentment with his marriage and life which drove him into the affair with Alberta. He seems to be in a reverie and almost unconscious of Rose and her feelings as he uses baseball metaphors to describe in detail the joy of his relationship with Alberta. Here, he makes a decision that he cannot give this
At the end of the scene, Cory, intervening between Rose and Troy, assumes an adult role, an act which enrages Troy who seems to see it as a challenge to his own authority and stature in the household. This deepens the rift between Cory and Troy and leads later to the final confrontation between them and to Cory's departure.
So - in this scene the characters confront their lives and make decisions that drive the remaining course of the drama. Troy decides he cannot give up Alberta. Rose realizing the affair is no passing one and that Troy is no longer her security, at last becomes angry and accuses him of being a taker. She realizes that she has wasted eighteen years of her life on Troy and later makes a life for herself outside the home. Cory, following suit, gathers courage and seems no longer afraid of Troy as he intervenes between him and Rose. Also, it seems that as Cory and Rose become stronger and distance themselves from Troy he loses his stature in the household. As a result Cory later tells Troy he is no longer of account in the family which instigates the violent ending of their relationship and Cory's departure to make his own way in life.
The Function of The Scene:
This scene is the turning point of the play, where Troy confesses to his affair with Alberta. Here, Troy and Rose have to face the reality of their lives, and their resulting emotions and actions drive the remainder of the drama. Troy works out why he needs Alberta and asks Rose for an understanding so he can continue with the relationship; Rose realizes Troy has taken her best years and is still not happy. She abandons her acceptance of Troy's ways and her anger gives her the strength to tell Troy what she thinks of him and to remind him of the sacrifices she has made for their marriage. In this scene, Cory takes on the adult role when he intervenes between them, deepening the rift between himself and Troy. This later leads to the violent row with Troy and to Cory's departure from the house.
In the Overall Context of the Play.
This scene is important in the overall context of the play because here we come to a clearer understanding of the characters of Troy and Rose. Rose clearly states why she has put her all into her marriage with Troy and remained faithful, even though the passing years taught her most of her dreams would not be realized. Troy explains the bitterness and regrets that have tormented him and why he made the decision to go for a "second chance" at life and have the affair with Alberta. This is where Troy and Rose are at last honest with each other and their consequent emotions and decisions are what drive the rest of the play. This scene is the point where the audience will make up its mind about Troy's character and his treatment of Rose and will examine Rose's tolerance of Troy and decide whether her sacrifices have been worthwhile or not. Gabriel and Cory are included and to an extent their fates are decided here also. Cory somehow diminishes Troy as he assumes the responsible, adult persona, further worsening their relationship. Also, in this scene, Troy, in deciding to continue his affair with Alberta, abandons his guiding principle, his sense of responsibility to the family. Having done that in this scene, I feel he finds it easier later on to sign Gabriel into the asylum.
Conveying the Stage Business;
This scene is the best scene in the entire play. This is the scene where we see that Rose is not the shy, timid person she was first portrayed to be. We see a submissive Rose in the beginning of the play. She hardly spoke unless spoken to. When she did speak she didn't say much and when speaking her mind she knows how far to go. In the first act of the play when Lyons wants $10, Rose persuades Troy to give Lyons the money. She never raises her voice or remvoes herself from her normal behavior. In contrast in this scene we see a different Rose altogether when her womanhood and her relationship are threatened. For example, she curses in this scene. Something we don't see anytime before. This is Rose's breaking point and rightfully so. This was her chance to tell Troy all the things her nature wouldn't turn loose.
The scene where Troy admits to Rose that he has been having an affair and his mistress is about to have a child functions as the catalyst for all of the play's resolutions. This scene puts Rose in a position to make a decision between being independent, or being dependent upon a man whom she can no longer trust or count on. Rose resolves to be loving and patient, and in the following scenes we see how she continues to be strong even though Troy continues to stay away from the house.
At the end of this scene Cory enters the picture and we also see his transformation from a "boy" to a "man" by literally and symbolically attacking what his father represents.
Perhaps the most significant resolution comes from Troy`s situaion in which he is attacked and mentally and physically abandoned by his family. Troy resolves that this is just fine with him and carries on with his life as if everyone else were only thinking of themselves. The minor theme of the play--Troy`s battle with death--begins to manifest itself fully in this scene.
In our performance of this scene we did not do much for stage business aside from staging the play in an outside location that would be most like the actual situation in which Troy and Rose found themselves--outside of their house. Besides the location we tried to dress somewhat lower middle class to further the "class" concept.
In the overall interpretation of the play this scene is the beginning of the end. Life as this family has known it for eighteen years is about to change dramatically in the following scenes and we see the outcomes. Troy continues to see his mistress and grows further from his friends, Cory joins the Army, Troy`s mistress dies, Lyons stops asking his father for money and we see the play close with everyone heading off to Troy`s funeral.
Andrea Weasner on Gabe
The character, Gabriel, in Wilson's Fences is an important character. He could be seen as Troy’s foil. Troy is an old man who had to work hard, but he also enjoyed living. He sinned by committing adultery while married to his wife Rose. Troy was a responsible person, but also hard to get along with when it came to discussing serious issues with the people closest to him. He made several family members very upset and angry at times. For example, when he told Cory that he could not play football, it caused both Rose and Cory anger and grief. Troy was hard to please and was also accused by Rose in "not giving" to his and her relationship and Rose herself. When accused with this, Troy grabbed Rose and exclaimed, "You say I take and don't give!" He hurts Rose by grabbing her.
Now, unlike Troy, Gabriel is a man who worked hard and never enjoyed living. He served in the army and then, when he lost his mental capabilities due to the war, he had to be taken care of by Troy's family. Gabriel never was able to have the luxury of drinking and having affairs. He never even was married. His disability caused many problems. He was seen as a crazy man by most and was always arrested just for doing good things like chasing the bad guys away. He was a good man. He was easy to get along with and very easy to please. A piece of watermelon was enough to make Gabe smile. Although, Gabriel was never able to hold much of a serious conversation or able to take care of others, he did bring joy to the family and even spiritual meaning. He did talk crazy, so to speak, about who would go to heaven and so forth, but he was only trying to make a point (probably without even knowing it) that his own brother Troy was a good man. Gabe stuck up for his own brother. Even when Troy and Rose are arguing and Gabe interrupts, he insists on telling Rose how wonderful Troy was to help him. Gabriel gives and is quite pleased when he just gets the littlest things back. He gives Rose a "rose" for being special and when she insists that he have watermelon, Gabe is quite grateful. Rose treats Gabe with the up most respect. Even in the heat of arguing with Troy, Rose is gentle and respectful of Gabe. Gabe treats Rose the way she wants to be treated.
Troy and Gabe are quite different, but they are both brothers and they both care for the people in their life. They just simply have a different way of showing it. Troy is much harder and Gabe is much softer considering the text mentioned. Gabe contrasts Troy's character and this is why he is so important to the "confession scene" and the play itself. The audience sees how Gabe and Troy, both coming from the same background, are so different and how Gabe represents what Troy could have been, but is not. Troy treats Gabe like a person, but doesn't really want to get too involved. He takes Gabe's disability money to use for his own survival while giving Gabe only a share of what is his. In a sense, the house Troy calls his is really Gabe's, but Gabe doesn't care. Gabe is always trying to please his brother and make sure that his brother is happy. He asks him, "Are you mad at me Troy" For Gabriel, peace with Troy is harmony and he is grateful for harmony. Troy is never really is mad at his brother and in a way, perhaps, he admires him? Perhaps, Troy wishes he could be more like him - easy going and loving in a soft way?
Troy: "Rose...got something to tell you" he is trying to cach her attention to tell her about Alberta and follows her backwars and forwards. He is dressed in weekend working clothes (as Damien can find).
Rose: " You're not telling me this" As Rose realizes what Troy is trying to tell her, she stops her bustling and turns to look at Troy. She stands still holding on to a chair for support in her shock and disbelief.